Mexico’s state power company, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), lets eligible households buy energy-efficient appliances and repay them through their electricity bill over as many as 48 months. The scheme, called ASI (Ahorro Sistemático Integral, or Comprehensive Systematic Saving), carries a reported fixed rate of 12% a year, although accounts of the rate differ.
Key Facts
—Who. CFE, Mexico’s state-owned electricity company, and household customers in hot regions.
—What. The cost of an efficient appliance is added to the power bill and repaid over up to 48 months.
—Rate. Several accounts give a fixed 12% a year; one says 16%; the newest says it varies by applicant.
—Catch. Accounts differ on the age of the old appliance and on years of service needed.
—Power Index. Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 70.8 points (November 2026 edition).
The offer turns a one-off purchase into a line on the power bill that customers already pay, at a reported 12% a year or more in interest.
How the Scheme Works
A customer chooses an energy-efficient appliance, such as a refrigerator, washing machine or minisplit (a ductless air conditioner), and CFE adds the instalments to the monthly power bill. Terms run up to 48 months, with a fixed rate reported at 12% a year in several accounts, 16% in one, and the newest account says it depends on each applicant.
Accounts differ on how old the replaced appliance must be, with more than six years in some accounts and at least ten years in others. Customers whose existing appliance was damaged by a supply fault can also apply if a CFE technician confirms the damage, and the old unit is handed in for recycling.
Who Can Apply
Applicants must be active CFE customers on household tariffs, which are CFE’s residential rate classes 1 to 1F, in zones it classes as extreme climate. They bring an official ID, a CURP (Mexico’s unique population-registry ID code), proof of address and other papers such as proof of family income.
Coverage differs on how long a customer must have held the account, with two years in some accounts and three years in others. Customers apply at a CFE customer office, where an adviser checks the papers and the models on offer.
Why It Matters
For households, the attraction is a repayment line on a bill they already pay, and the cost is a reported rate of 12% a year or more over as long as four years. We found no current official figure on how many households use the scheme, so its reach is unknown.
Related reading covers CFE’s fundraising from investors and its third-quarter loss and debt. Both concern the company’s own finances, not this household scheme.
What It Means for You
Expats and retirees in Mexico need the CFE contract in their own name and a household tariff in a hot region, so homes outside those zones may not qualify. Anyone tempted by the offer should compare the reported rate with other credit before signing.
Our Mexico news page follows CFE and household energy costs. Readers in Mexicali can see how power prices already shape local protests in our report on the Mexicali hunger strike over power rates.
What Is Not Known
The programme’s own website and a November 2026 account list photovoltaic (solar panel) systems, but a July 2025 account says CFE stated that ASI does not include solar panels. CFE has also denied giving panels away free, so whether panels are financed is not confirmed.
The 48-month term, the rate and the eligibility rules come from published accounts of the scheme, because the programme website lists no terms and CFE’s own page was not reachable when we checked. The current rate, the list of participating municipalities and the service-years rule should be confirmed at a CFE customer office.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does CFE’s ASI programme work?
CFE adds the price of an efficient appliance to the customer’s power bill, repaid over up to 48 months. The rate is reported at 12% a year in several accounts, but accounts differ.
Which appliances does CFE finance?
The programme site lists air conditioning, refrigerators, washing machines, LED lamps, thermal insulation, solar water heaters and solar panels. Minisplits are ductless air conditioners.
Does CFE finance solar panels?
The programme’s own website and a November 2026 account list solar panels, but a July 2025 account says CFE stated that ASI excludes them. The question is not settled.
Who can apply for the CFE scheme?
Active CFE customers on household tariffs in extreme-climate zones, with an official ID, a CURP and proof of address. Accounts differ on whether two or three years of service are required.
Sources: ASI programme website, product lines, read 13 November 2026; CFE statements on solar panels, April 2024 and 2025; published accounts of the programme’s terms, 2025 and 2026. CFE’s own pages could not be opened.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error